04 - ECOSSE - THE MARQUE OF EXCELLENCE

How many motorcycle brands can you name? There's plenty out there – from the big Japanese manufacturers to the iconic European marques, you could probably name quite a few. Chances are though, Ecosse Moto was not one of them…

Based in Denver, Colorado, Ecosse Moto is the brainchild of mechanical engineer and lifelong motorcycle enthusiast Donald Atchison. During the mid-1990's, Donald held the role of head of Business Development for a local manufacturing firm – a job which saw him spend long periods of time overseas where he would while away the hours of tedious long flights, by sketching images of his ideal street bike.

Over time, these sketches slowly gave birth to the idea of opening an exclusive motorcycle boutique that would offer obscure, high-end furnishings, lighting, apparel, timepieces and motorcycle accessories. Eventually, the idea came to fruition and deciding to take the jump, Atchison began by selling other companies products.

The company's tagline was one of the first things to be put in place, 'Exquisitely engineered for a fortunate few', a motto that sums up Ecosse Moto Works perfectly. Following countless hours of computer-aided and real-world testing, Donald was ready to unveil his first distinctive model, The Heretic. Undergoing three complete prototype iterations before it was launched, The Heretic took in elements from all of Donald's favourite types of bike and the unique piece of kit has helped Ecosse grow to become a globally recognised brand of premier luxury motorcycles.

Following The Heretic, came the matt black and silver 2-litre handcrafted Iconoclast, which was built exclusively for 20ltd.com. Machined from solid billet aluminium, the engine puts out an impressive 135bhp, while the 4130 Chrome-moly TIG chassis is welded by hand. The Iconoclast is so exclusive, only eleven of these machines were built!

The most recent Ecosse project is the stunning Titanium series, which features a hand-brushed titanium chassis, custom head pipes with internal ceramic coating, and custom titanium mufflers with titanium inlet cone and titanium internal baffles.

A dual-cam, supercharged, intercooled and fuel-injected powerplant boasts an incredible 200bhp at the back wheel, while carbon fibre wheels and bodywork top the machine off to an incredible finish.

The saying 'good things come to those who wait' is something that is particularly true for these meticulously built machines. They are designed and built from the ground up and because of this, each machine goes through a lengthy build process. While they have created different limited-edition series of Chrome-moly and Titanium models, the total number of machines built a year remains very low due to it taking upwards of ten months to create!

Regardless of how many are built, Ecosse ensure each model is designed with a distinctive character and soul – painstakingly building them to the highest standards using the best materials available. One feature that has remained the same for each machine however is the gold and yellow suspension units of Öhlins. Wendy Atchinson from Ecosse explains why, "If I'm honest, the simple reason we use Öhlins on all of our machines is because they're the best we can use and we're able to customise both the forks and shocks to match our specific needs here at Ecosse. At the very start of the project we were lucky enough to work with the guys direct in Sweden and the support we have received from Öhlins guys in North Carolina, particularly Eric Knight, has been equally amazing!"

What's in a Name?

The name Ecosse is the French naming of Scotland and the inspiration behind the bike brand is derived from the infamous Scottish racing team, Ecurie Ecosse, who back in the 1950's were denied a spot in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. After some much desperate pleading, the organisers finally relented and awarded them a spot in 1956. With the world writing them off before they had even started, the team pulled off one of the biggest shocks in motorsport going on to beat the established factory Ferrari and Maserati teams and secure victory.

Dismissed as a fluke, they were invited back the following year by virtue of being the reigning winners where they stunned again to successfully defend their title. To the founders of Ecosse Moto Works Inc. the name embodied a relentless desire for excellence – a belief they hold close to themselves.